Feathers from an Angel
by Angelglitched
Summary: Sequel to Under The Moonlight. After a little detective's life was turned upside down by a particular doll and two baddies, things are back to the way they should be. But when a new detective turns up, his world going straight down the drain. Again.
1. Spellcard 1: Kaito Kid

Under the Moonlight's sequel! I really hope this would turn out better than the last one. =) Oh, and neither DC nor MK belong to me, the characters here and in UTM are highly mutiliated (especially little Tantei-kun). RnR please?

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It shone, just a few meters away from him, is shiny luster reflecting off the singular monocle he stuck over his eye. He reached out a gloved hand, his fingers brushing the stone cold gem, and a triumphant grin broke out onto his face. It was cold, yes, yet it was precious, too precious, even more valued than life itself, counting the unlucky ones who had sacrificed themselves to try their hand at it.

It tipped off its wire stand, tottering on the edge, and slipped comfortably into his hand. It felt neutrally light, but it was supposed to be much heavier, he thought. His hand fingered the jewel, and his ocean blue eyes widened as he realized he had fallen into a trap.

He threw the fake to the ground, where it bounced, once, twice, thrice on the carpet. Then, he searched around the enclosed room, until he found a diminutive box in a trapdoor under the ruby carpet. He cracked the lock that held its secret sealed, and pulled out the true gemstone from within its cottony arms.

He clutched the gem firmly in his grasp.

Suddenly, a hundred sirens blared overhead, their bright red lights beaming warnings to all corners of the room. Their noise attracted the attention of the police force, who barged into the room shouting, as usual headed by the bumbling Inspector Nakamori.

"Kaito Kid! This time you won't escape!" the mustached man thundered at the phantom thief, but he was only replied with a confident grin.

"Oh sure I will, Inspector. Like I've done for the past…Let's see now….fifteen, sixteen…" Kid put up a couple of spare fingers playfully, which sent the inspector spiraling into annoyance and impatience. He lunged at the teen, his grappling hands outstretched, and mouth wide open in a battle cry.

Kid slipped around him easily, and ran to the balcony, with the rest of the police force hot on his heels. He smirked before slipping into his escape plan: go up to the rooftop and use the glider to escape from there. He skipped up the steps, hurtled through the metal door and out into the open, leaving the irritating officers far behind in the dust.

"Kid. So, you finally have come."

Kid laughed, almost overjoyed to hear the little child's voice once more. It was a disaster when they had last met; little Tantei-kun had grown wings and had scary powers. He would be caught all too easily with that doll helping him. Thankfully it was gone now, wished away by its own master.

"Why yes, Tantei-kun, I've--"

His words jammed in his throat as he saw who had spoken. He knew it; the little kid's voice had almost the same amount of maturity there, maybe a little less, but it definitely was not that squeaky.

Nor would it sound like a girl.

He whirled around, a sift of fear and apprehension licking his face, and then disappearing under the poker face as soon as it came. He pulled out his gun in anticipation of a fight.

The seventeen-year-old standing behind him held her head up proudly, her slivery blond hair tied up in a high ponytail behind her perfect face and her arm leveling the silver pistol she held at Kid's chest with relaxed confidence. Her head was cocked to the side, as if waiting for Kid's next, and probably last, move. Her teeth were bared in a poisonous smile of exultance and glee.

Kid hissed. "This must be the new recruit the force was talking about earlier. What was her name again? I can't seem to remember." He scratched at his head, racking his mind about to find his answer. But it came to him anyway; he needed not to search for it.

"Serin Kirandra. Detective."

"Serin. Nice name for a pretty lady like you, sweetheart. You know, you should be wearing a pretty dress tonight instead of that formal-looking suit." Kid hopped to it, throwing flattery after flattery at the girl, hoping to ward her off course. Her smile did not waver, though, and she kept her aim true.

"Sorry, Kid. Roses and sweets don't work on me," she muttered curtly, before pulling the trigger. Kid shimmered past the bullet, watching the little metal thing that would decide his fate whizz past his chest. He brightened, thinking that it was over.

Yet, how was he supposed to know that she fired another one, straight at his middle?

Serin caught the wounded boy as he collapsed unconscious, jubilant at the shot she made. It was sheer luck, and a lot of skill, that she had him in her hands. She whipped out a pair of handcuffs, locked them around the cuffed wrists of the thief and admired her work. Sure, the blood oozed grossly out of the hole she poked in his stomach, but that was not going to hurt him, for surely the police would send him to the hospital under the tightest scrutiny before locking him up in jail. Forever, she hoped. She was just about to pick him up again when a herd of rhinoceros charged onto the roof.

"Not so loud, Inspector. I've got him now." She held a finger to her lips, and they all fell silent.

"You-You-You-You……"

"Yes. I've captured the Kaito Kid."

Kid lifted his head up to see her face on last time, before blacking out completely.

"Hey Ran! Check this out!"

"Huh? Kaito Kid unmasked by Detective Kirandra? Kuroba Kaito is Kaito Kid? These articles are definitely fakes. Kid hasn't been caught!" Ran grabbed the newspaper from her dad, and began to read in earnest. "Last night, at around 1:58 in the wee hours of the morning, Kid made off with the jewel but the newest detective on the block, Serin Kirandra, brought him down and arrested him near the scene of the crime. Is it really true, dad?" she turned to Kogoro, who by now had gone off to the kitchen for breakfast. She huffed at his impatience, and left to get breakfast ready.

Later at school…

"Hey! Have you heard? There's gonna be a new student in our class today, Ran!" Sonoko's joyful voice rang loudly in her ear. She was smiling jovially, excited about the new addition. "What do you think the student's gonna be like, huh? Maybe it's a guy, handsome and single, or is it a cute gal that is super-sweet? Or is it someone who knows a thing or two about your husband?" She skipped around her best friend, chirping happily.

"Sonoko! Stop calling him my husband!" Ran's face flared red. "Shinichi's not my husband, how many times do I have to tell you?! He's just a friend, okay?"

The little kid trailing behind them rolled his eyeballs before staring at Sonoko with half-mooned eyes. "Darn you Sonoko…I'm just right behind you! I can hear everything!"

"Alright class!" announced the teacher as everyone scrambled for their seats. Just a few moments ago they had been chatting animatedly about the new student, speculating who it would turn out to be. Seats were dragged noisily across the tiled floor and hairstyles were tidied up with pocket combs as the teacher opened the door to let the new student in.

Her long golden hair shimmered with a touch of sliver. Her smoky eyes held more than they told. She smiled at them, sweet, yet a little tinge of menacing. Her pale white hand fingered her textbooks, which looked too heavy for her long, skinny frame. When she spoke, her voice was tender as it was strong, and it resonated throughout the classroom even long after she had closed her mouth.

"Good morning, I am Serin Kirandra."

"Serin-chan! How's it like to be in our class?" The ever-sprightly Sonoko was bouncing around her new classmate, helping her to pack up her books. The afternoon sun shone brightly up in the blue, blue sky, and the school bell had just rung, signaling the end of the school day. Serin looked up at the brunette, and grinned.

"It's great here! But who's sitting in that empty chair over there?" she enquired politely, pointing to the deserted seat in the middle of the classroom.

"Oh, that's for our famous resident detective freak. He's away on some sort of super-hard-extra-long case right now, so you don't need to worry about him!" the girl replied gaily, as her best friend entered the classroom.

"Are you guys done yet?" the tall teenager huffed, an impatient look spread on her face. Sonoko laughed, and grabbed Ran by the shoulder.

"Oh, we're just talking about your MIA husband, you know?" She laughed again, as Ran blushed and yelled at her. "Sonoko you Idiot! I've already told you he's not my husband or anything for that matter!"

"Oh? So…Who's this 'detective freak you're talking about, Sonoko-san?"

"Ah, it's Kudo Shinichi! You know, that hot-shot detective who always makes a show out of his cases? That's the guy!" cried Sonoko, ignoring Ran's repeated pleas and shouts. Serin grinned at the comical scene before her, and continued.

"Kudo? Wow. I didn't know he studied here. Where do you think he is now?"

"I don't know! No one knows for sure, actually. Sometimes he just appears out of nowhere, sometimes it's just his voice we hear over the phone or an intercom."

"Is he nice?"

Ran flared again, and stopped yelling at her friend. "Why do you want to know so much about Shinichi?" Her eyes narrowed at the other detective in suspicion.

"Nothing. Just asked." Serin rolled her misty eyes, before picking up her bag and the three of them set off for home.

"Oh Ran-neechan, you're back! Uncle and I were just getting hungry… Who's this?" The little kid who opened the door to the office looked up in wonder at Serin, who returned his stare with a kind smile. "This is Serin-neechan, our new student. Serin-chan, Conan-kun." Ran pointed to the two of them in turn, and the two shook hands.

"Nice to meet you, Conan-kun." Serin said.

Suddenly, her eyebrows furrowed together as she looked up and down the boy. Her mouth curled into a pair of pursed lips, a sign of deep thought. He stepped back apprehensively, and quickly dashed off, giving the excuse to get some water.

"He looks a lot like Kudo-san, don't you think?" Serin turned to Ran and asked. Ran looked surprised for a moment, but quickly replied, "He's just Shinichi's distant cousin, that's all."

"Oh really? I guess that would explain the resemblance then."

"Hey, Ran! What's for lunch?!" Kogoro's annoyed shout ricocheted from the kitchen. Ran cried back a hasty 'yes' before pulling Serin and Sonoko in to join them for lunch.

* * *

I say Serin's super-creepy. Poor Kid. I had to knock him off so early...wait...future chapter spoiler!!! He'll so get out of jail and escape!!!! Why? 'Cause he's Kaito Kid, that's why!

=) Angelglitched


	2. Spellcard 2: Kuroba Kaito

"Kaito…?"

She was not sure whether to call him by his name anymore, for he did not answer to anything for the past few days. Each time anyone tried to speak to him, he would always turn his head away, his face set in stone. Even when the doctors gave him his food, they would always have to leave it on the side table or something, and he would only eat when there's no one else around. He seemed so depressed, staring out the window hour after hour, gazing at who-knows-what far away, at the line where the sun melded into the cityscape. His tousled jet-black hair was even more unkempt, his dark blue eyes soulless, his entire being looked horribly frail and weak.

She stepped into his ward cautiously, a basket of fruits in her hand. He was propped up in his bed with a bundle of pillows, as usual, a ring of white bandages wrapped around his torso, where the detective's bullet had hit him. She almost felt sorry for him, the way she had hated his alter ego, but now that she knew Kid was her best friend, she could not help but pity him. Continuing his father's unfinished job would be difficult to reject, or even do, for the matter. She remembered that night, when Detective Kirandra had presented her dad with a wounded Kid, and how they had made him spill everything out once they had whipped off his hat and monocle in glee that was somewhat a little cruel. He blabbered that he had to find something called a "Pandora Gem", and that there were "mysterious men in black" that had killed his dad and were stalking him, and how "they" wanted the jewel for immortality. Of course the detective and the inspector laughed at his excuse, believing in no such thing, but he told it as if it was real, and she believed his story. Although she had felt immense hate towards him at first, it quickly sizzled away into concern. Pure concern. She wondered why it did that. So, she bore no grudges against him, but still considered him a good friend.

"Kaito-kun?"

Her voice was soft, but it rang loud and crystal clear in the silent room, echoing off the pale white walls. She stepped closer to his bed, and gently placed the fruits on the side table. Once again he tilted his face away, not wanting to look at her. But this time she was decisive. She reached over and yanked his face back, staring into his eyes, which seemed to have lost all drive and passion, not the once lively, joyful and mischievous pair she used to know.

"Kuroba Kaito! Wake up!" It sounded rather lame, she knew, but it was the only thing she could think of to yell at him. He stared straight ahead, and blinked. Aoko drew back in surprise, realizing that he could still respond. He opened his mouth to speak finally, and out poured a raspy voice.

"Go away."

Aoko's heart jumped, elated that he answered her, but was a little miffed at his remark. "What do mean 'go away'?! I just got here! And I brought fruits for you too! Oh, and here, you're homework! You may be Kaito Kid, but you still have to do your homework!" She thumped a stack of papers onto the floor, and noticed that the other stacks still lay there, untouched. "And why haven't you been doing your work?"

"I can't write."

She sighed, and dug around in her pocket, and pulled out a pen. She stuck it into his hand. "There. Now you can write."

Kaito shifted his gaze out to the window once more, and mumbled, "I don't want to."

"Fine! Then I'll just leave! But when I come back tomorrow I'd better see all these work done!" With that, she stomped out of the ward.

Kaito looked after her, then turned back to the pen in his hand. He twirled it around with his fingers, his eyes narrowed.

After what seemed like a century of silence, he got up, and slipped out of bed. He strode over to the cupboard, and pulled out his backpack. He went back to his bed and inverted it with its mouth open. Bundles of white cloth bounced onto the yellowing covers of the sheets. He shook it some more, and dislodged a white top hat with a baby blue band and a shiny, silver monocle.

"I'm sorry, dad, but now I'm gonna make up for it!"

"Man, why oh why does that rookie have to catch Kid? It's just not fair!" His shout resounded off the walls of the room, jealousy ringing in every word. He stomped around the room, his face contorted into a serious frown.

"Hakuba-kun?"

The teenager looked up; his friend was standing at the door, worry creasing her pretty face. She looked upset and frantic, too flustered to even brush her hair properly, which was flying around her head like a dark halo. "What is it?" he intoned calmly, hiding away his jealousy.

"H-Have you seen Kaito?" Aoko stuttered, her bright blue eyes clouded with immense anxiety. He sat up now, wondering what was going on.

"What do you mean? Isn't he at the hospital still recovering from that-_that-_" He could not bring himself to say that dreaded detective's name, the flame of resentment still burning intensely in his heart. "-You know! Her?"

"Yeah! But when I got there just now to give him some lunch he was gone! I checked everywhere! He's not in his ward! The bandages that he used he flung onto the floor, and his bag's gone too! The one containing the Kid outfit! It's gone too!" Aoko wailed, her words spilling out into the air.

Hakuba got up quickly, his eyes wide open in shock and horror.

"Oh no."

A soft swoosh of wings glided him over to the lawn, where he touched his feet down onto the wet emerald grass. The smooth green carpet had been drenched with rain from earlier, making squelchy noises under his feet. He quickly hopped onto the path, taking care not to be seen, but that was nearly impossible, taking into consideration how conspicuous his outfit was. The gravel crunched under his weight, loud in the stillness of the night. Luckily there was no one on the streets at this time of the night, he thought. Suddenly the door of the house creaked open. He jumped warily at the sound, turning his pale face forward to face the other person.

In the dark doorway stood a diminutive figure dressed in a blue coat and navy shorts. A pair of huge glasses sat perched on his nose, adding to his geeky look. His hands were in his pockets, a look of sleepiness on his face.

"What do you want?"

"Er…shelter for the night? And some food," he added meekly, horrified that he would find himself in such a pathetic state. Look at him, once a glorious, famous phantom thief, now reduced to something equal to a poor beggar. No, something less, to find himself asking his rival for help.

The kid looked at him for a while, before waving his hand at him, signaling him to enter. He sighed in relief, and then followed him in.

After a warm cup of cocoa and a thick blanket later, the kid broke the silence. "So…Why are you here?"

"You know…er…I need somewhere to hide, right? Now that I got exposed by that overnight meitantei." His words were sour and sullen, showing his unhappiness about the matter. The kid smirked before answering.

"I would have liked to catch you myself, Kaito-niichan."

Kaito peered at the child through eyes the shape of the half-moon outside. "I didn't let you call me that. To you, I'm still Kaito Kid, alright?"

"Pretty please with a cherry on top?" the child's midnight eyes had grew disproportionately huge and watery, a technique he hardly used, but was excellent when it came up to it. A pair of huge innocent eyes and a pleading cherub look would melt the stone cold hearts of anyone, Kaito included.

"Okay, okay! You can call me Kaito-niichan now, thanks to the cold-hearted meitantei!" His eyes rolled in exasperation, while the child adjusted his expression to the impassive one he always wore in front of Kaito once more.

"Okay then, Kaito-niichan. But why do you need to hide?"

"Long, long story cut super short. There's a bunch of people in black out there that murdered my dad because he didn't want to find something for them, blah blah blah. Now they want to come after me, and since my real name was published in the newspapers they would know where to find me, so I can't go home. The only place they might not care to search would be with you, right? Because there would be no thief that would stoop so low as to ask a member of the police to help them, right?" Kaito grinned at the kid, and sat back in his chair.

"Wait wait wait, did you say a bunch of people in black?" the child asked, his shoulders tense.

"Yeah."

"Could they possibly have members called Gin or Vodka?"

Kaito stared confusedly at the inquisitive child. "Er…No, but there's someone called Snake. Why do you ask?"

Conan relaxed, and hesitated. "Just asking."

"Not fair," Kaito huffed, "You know my story now, but you still haven't told me yours." He pouted, sticking his lip out in childish manner. Conan laughed at his demeanor, then continued.

"Alright. I think you've already got the gist of who I really am, right? So…the only story I have to tell is how I got like this in the first place. Well……" his voice trailed off. A tinkle gleamed in his eyes, and he quickly said, "…But that's for me to know and you to find out!"

Kaito slapped his forehead. "Meanie! I wish you were me, then you'd have a meanie midget detective after you as well, then you'd know what it feels like!"

"Well, I am a midget already, so having a 'midget detective' to me would be as small as an insect already!"

"Ohh!!!! This is going to get irritating….."


	3. Spellcard 3: Mouri Ran

Here I m again! Sorry for the long update... My keyboard had something wonky in it and I couldn't type until it was fixed...But I hope this chapter makes up for the wait!

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"Professor!"

Conan bounded into the house, a huge grin stuck onto his face. He hopped once, twice, thrice on the spot impatiently.

"Come on, where's Haibara?! Where's Haibara!? Where's Haibara?! Where's Haibara?!" he jumped up and down uncontrollably, excitement pouring out of every inch of him. Professor Agasa stopped his work and looked up.

"Nice to see you looking so happy today, Shinichi," noted the professor, before getting back to his work. "She's down in the lab, wouldn't disturb her if I were you, you know.

He took no heed of the man's advice, and romped downstairs anyway. When he got to the basement, he flung the door wide open, slamming it onto the adjacent wall with a loud bang.

"Haibara!!!"

The girl glared at him and mumbled, "How rude. Barging in just when I was about to attempt a very risky experiment."

"Okay, okay! I get it! So where's the pill? Where? Where?"

"Calm down," said a voice from the doorway, the speaker's shadow covering Conan like a huge dark blanket. His face had a smirk on it, and in his hand, he grasped a small plastic packet, which contained a single red-and-yellow pill. "Here's the antidote you wanted. Ai-kun told me to hold onto it if you came bugging her." He threw it to the kid, whose eager hands scrabbled at it in sheer delight.

"Yay! Antidote!" he cried, then looked at Ai's new helper in interest. "What are you doing here, Kaito-niichan? I thought Haibara doesn't like people in her lab?"

"Erm…… I just help around the house when I'm free, that's all. I can't go out without being recognized and chased after, so I just find things to do now and then. It's fun helping out your neighbors, you know, Tantei-kun." Kaito chuckled.

"Oh. Mind that you don't drop anything then. Haibara here sure knows how to lecture you if you do."

"That? Come on, I tried it first time I was here already." He grinned cheekily and the kid, before going about his other chores.

Conan looked at him, then at Ai, and back again in disbelief. Then, he remembered his purpose of visit and dashed off to the nearest washroom with a suit of his high school uniform.

"Serin! Could you do a little something for me?" As usual, Sonoko was chatting with the new student, her head resting on her hands. Serin jerked out from her work, and turned to the teen.

"Uhh…Sure. Why not?" she replied, an effort made to produce a small smile at the corners of her lips. Sonoko quickly leaned over and whispered a string of hushed words into her buttercup ear, and Serin's eyes grew rounder and rounder with excitement and amusement. When Sonoko was done, she stood up enthusiastically, and said, "I'll do it!"

"Hi people!"

The cheery voice shot through the buzzing of the classroom, causing everyone to look up at the speaker. He bounced into the room, looking super-energized, positive energy rolling off him in thick layers. Sonoko grinned widely in her seat, nudged her elbow between Serin's ribs and yelled, "Hi Shinichi!"

Immediately, Serin pounced on the teen, her arms open wide and her mouth pulled into a gaily smile. "Kudo-kuuun!!!!!" she cried.

He stumbled backwards, partially in fright, and grabbed hold of the door frame to steady himself. "Whoa whoa whoa! Slow down there, miss!" he cried, using his other hand to push Serin back up. "That gave me quite a shock you know, little lady."

"Oh my god!!! It's you, it's really you!!! I've never thought that I would meet the great Detective of the East in person, and up close too!! This is totally amazing!!!" she gushed, her face glowing a bright red as her fan-girl side took charge. "Oh, they say you're so handsome, and clever, and observant too! They were so right, but their descriptions are not worthy of your awesomeness, Kudo-sama!!" She shook Shinichi's hand up and down vigorously, and the whole class roared at the comical scene, at the overnight star's childish behavior and her poor idol's bewildered expression. Only Ran sat silently in her seat, her face set in expressionless stone.

When Serin finally got over the hype of meeting Shinichi, she hopped back into her seat energetically. Shinichi, on the other hand, seemed to have lost his initial bundle of energy and collapsed into his seat, which made the class laugh even louder. Sonoko laughed so much; she was banging the table with a fist, holding her aching ribs with another, while tears streamed out of her shut eyes.

No one seemed to have noticed the teacher step into the room just then.

"Class! Please be quiet!" she cried, clapping her hands together for attention. The students shot back to their seats in a flurry, and in a few minutes were ready to start lessons. The teacher strode over to Shinichi, who was still lying dazed in his seat, and bent down to his ear.

"Wake Up!!!!!"

Shinichi jolted back to earth, his eyes nearly popping out of his head and his hair standing on end, as if he just had an electric shock. The class laughed again, some even shouting 'fail' at him. He came to his senses, blushed in embarrassment, and they all got down to their lessons just as the teacher cried at the rowdy class to shut up once more.

Later…during recess…

"Oi Kudo-kun! How's it like to have one of your adoring fans in your classroom?"

"Kudo! Serin's been looking everywhere for you! She wants to give you a rose or something… I don't know…"

"Shinichi! Your new friend's been hunting for you in the library! Could you get her out of there, please? We need to do our homework…"

"Shinichi…"

"SHUT UP!! SHUT UP EVERYONE!!!" Shinichi tugged at his hair, screaming in anguish. He pounded the table in frustration, upsetting the papers and pens that lay on it.

A hand laid itself on his shoulder, warm and caressing. It gripped him gently, its fingernails digging slowly into his clothes. He looked up, and saw the brown-haired girl's face bending over him. It was impassive, just staring at him like some other person, yet he caught a something –sorrow, pity, or something? - behind her deep blue eyes. They looked at each other for a few minutes, gazing into each other's faces, until Ran finally let go. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, and quickly turned to leave him alone.

He watched as her shadow grew smaller and smaller in the distance, and didn't know that to say.

* * *

Two sides to Serin...One super serious one, One super fangirl one!


	4. Spellcard 4: Suzuki Sonoko

Sorry for the long update!!! I had a case (pun, pun) of writer's block and had to go for 'manga therapy' for a few days! But reading all those books gave me a ton of new ideas for stories...Don't worry! This is only the fourth spellcard!

I just love being evil...*evil laughs* Now, who wants some lemon tarts? =)

* * *

"Serin likes him."

"No, Serin loves him."

"No, Serin really, really loves him."

"Damn! Why wasn't I quicker?"

She put up a finger, and another, counting all the reasons she had wanted use to keep herself from confessing her love to him. There were only two: public image and his reaction. She was not that much afraid of the paparazzi, but she was scared as to whether he would accept her or not. Most of the time she speculated that he would not, and the daydream always led to something disastrous. Accepting her also led to disastrous results. So, she did not tell him.

Until now. Someone, specifically a teenage girl called Serin Kirandra. She had walked right up to him that morning, hugged him, gushed about him, et cetera. But doing it in front of the class, and especially her, was a major insult to her feelings for him. She blabbed about him all day long after that, about how he was so great and awesome, so cool and handsome, so clever and intelligent. She talked about him to anyone who would listen, especially other Shinichi fans on the street. They would look at her with eyes full of envy and admiration, but their mouths pursed silent. She knew how they would feel; like they had just suffered a blow to their face. Serin went about wagging her huge tail about, flapping it in others' faces. It was rather stupid, really, but she did not like it one bit.

"Ring ring!"

Shinichi nearly choked on his noodles in fright. He coughed and spluttered; trying to clear his throat, then quickly went to see who had come to visit him. If it was Serin again he would hide, if it was someone else…well…that was another matter.

He crept over to the door, and peered through the view-hole, half expecting the rookie detective to beam brightly back at him through the glass, possibly with a huge bouquet of roses or an oversized wrapped box of chocolates in her arms. Instead a tall friend was standing at the door, her signature cheeky grin spread across her face. He wrenched open the door, and yanked her in.

"Okay… So what do you want?"

"Uh… I just wanna apologize for Serin's behavior today, Shinichi-kun," giggled Sonoko over a cup of juice. "But she was just crazy over you, even if she didn't show it at first. But I could sense her excitement, you know, it was just radiating from her like heat from a bonfire on a winter's day! I only told her to go up to you this morning and say hi and give you a single flower, but I didn't expect her to go get you a huge bunch of red roses!"

Shinichi listened, his head almost nodding off in boredom. Suddenly, he sat up again, his eyes alert and piercing.

"Oh, and Ran-chan's been moping about it the whole day now, sitting around in her room and plucking petals off flowers that she finds. Poor her. It was not really nice of Serin to do that right in front of her too, especially since she knows you're her wife…"

A stray drop of sweat rolled down her friend's forehead, and his shoulders shook slightly. The plastic fork, which he held in his hand, bent forward, threatening to snap under the strength and pressure of his fist. Sonoko kept rambling on and on, completely oblivious to his condition.

His hand finally shot up and gripped his chest, his cerulean eyes widening in shock and terror. Then, he buckled over, his head smashing against the coffee table, upsetting the glass of drink she had placed onto the piece of furniture. Orange juice splashed onto Shinichi's head, rendering his dark mop of hair sticky and sweet.

"Omigosh! Are you all right, Shinichi-kun? Don't worry, I'll go get a doctor…" cried Sonoko as she reached for her cellphone. Shinichi held up a hand, the other still wrapped around his heart, as if to tell her not to. He coughed, dry breath rasping in his throat painfully, and would have collapsed, if not for a certain shrunken scientist who had nicely barged in. Upon seeing her ill subject, she coolly strode over, yanked Shinichi up by his arm, and dragged him to his room. Sonoko looked on in wonderment, and when all was done, she got up and went to knock on Shinichi's door. She could still hear him coughing, and now screaming, in there. She stared wildly at Ai, as if she had just committed some sort of crime.

"What have you done?!"

"Shinichi-niichan just needs a little rest. Leave him alone, don't go in."

Sonoko gaped at her, acting too cold and mature for her age. No sense of feeling to Shinichi…and yet he was her neighbor… wow.

"B-But…Shinichi-kun…"

"I said, he's fine!" the girl yelled, her smoky grey eyes gleaming indignantly.

Sonoko ignored the child, and proceeded to wrench open the wooden door. Ai scrabbled at her legs, but in the pint-sized body, there was not much she could do except cry and snap at the teen's legs, like a mad guard dog vowed to protect the contents of the room. Sonoko finally burst through the door, and the both of them tumbled into the mildly dusty room. She jackhammered up straight, glancing around the room to find where Shinichi was.

He was sitting on the edge of his bed, head bent low to the ground. Then, as he registered the tussle that had just blown into his room, he looked up, and smiled.

It was the very same Shinichi, just a little sweaty and tired.

"What's wrong, Sonoko? You seem a little scared."

She froze, then quickly snapped, "You didn't look well just now! Ran-chan would kill me of she found out that I let you die instead of saving you, right?"

He chuckled in light amusement, then turned to Ai's bewildered face.

"Now, now, Haibara. You shouldn't be scrambling at Sonoko's legs. Look how scratched they are now!"

It was true. Sonoko had long, but superficial red lines running up and down her long legs. She glanced at them, then brushed their image away.

"It's nothing, Shinichi, but tell me, what happened just now?'

"Nothing. It's just…a….a little condition that works up every now and then when I feel bored."

She heaved a huge sigh of relief, then completely digested the full meaning of what he had just said.

"You said I was BORING?!"

The other two paled in horror, and proceeded to scramble and escape their deadly murderess.

…

When she had eventually left in a huff, a young boy tumbled out of a nearby cupboard in Shinichi's room. He was wearing an oversized suit of teenage clothes, and picked himself up just as Shinichi came in.

"Close one, wasn't it, Kudo-chan?"

Conan huffed at the teen, perking his nose into the air. "You waved Sonoko away, but in truth, I would have managed it well enough myself."

"Oh come on! If it weren't for me, you would have been blown open by that tigress by now!" he smirked, to which Conan returned with an exasperated sigh, then, and idea popped into his head.

"Say Kaito-niichan, why don't you do me a favor?"

Kaito glanced worriedly at him for a second, before retreating and backing up against the nearest wall as the child turned towards him. There was an aura of danger and sinister intentions lurking around the silhouette of the kid, and his mouth was pulled into an evil grin. His eyes flashed with murderous intent, and his intelligent mind was possibly contemplating something…unimaginable to Kaito.

"Same, right down to the very last nail. The hair needs something…though…"

"This is not going to end good…!" Kaito mentally screamed his last thoughts through his head.

* * *

I think everyone can guess what is gonna happen next. Right?


	5. Spellcard 5: Haibara Ai

I am super sorry that I didn't update fast! (Apologises over and over and over~) I'll make it faster next time, I promise!!!

* * *

"Bloody Tantei-kun! Making me dress up like this and going back to school…making me do his homework… it's not fair! He should do his own work, not me to do it for him while he's off flirting with Ran-chan or snooping around crime scenes…." Shinichi, or rather, Kaito in Shinichi's uniform, muttered under his breath as he trudged out of school.

It was Conan's fault. The little kid had did a little 'fish dance' that freaked him out, and while he was out cold he had plastered his mop of dark hair together with something that felt like gel but stuck to its given shape like hell. And the little brat had gone home and told his guardian about the resident detective being home, and about going to walk him to school the next day, and all this Kaito could not have desisted without having his identity blown open. He sighed, mentally screaming at the diabolical little mind that Conan had.

As he neared the school gates, his mind registered something familiar.

In front of the gate, there were hordes and hordes of screaming fan girls jumping around, as if they just had a shot of strong mocha. A bunch of cars decked out in the black and white paints of the police department were parked around the students. Kaito strolled over, taking care not to get noticed for fear of getting mobbed by the huge crowd.

"Kudo-kun!"

Kaito jumped a few inches into the air, and whirled around to face the speaker. At first, he did not see anyone behind him, where the voice had came from, but it was quickly followed up with a loud yelp. He spun around again, and caught his arm just in time to stop it smacking Inspector Megure's face. Again.

"Sheesh, Kudo, you need to look where you put your bag! It's as heavy as an elephant and as hard as a brick! What do you carry in there?" the man huffed, clearly miffed by Kaito's behavior.

"S-Sorry, Inspector…just a little klutzy today!" stammered the 'detective', a drop of cold sweat hanging over the side of his head. "So…what seems to be the problem here?" he directed, glancing at the gathering.

"Oh, just this morning, there was a body found in front of the gate. Take a look." He led Kaito to the crime scene, where the officers were just beginning to snap pictures of the corpse. They willingly parted to let the homicide detective in to survey the situation.

"Hey, isn't that the high school detective that solves all the cases thrown at him?" "Yeah, I think he is!" "Omigosh, is that really Kudo Shinichi?!"

Kaito's ears twitched at the squeaky, excited voices of Shinichi's fans, wondering how in the world the teen lived it down for that long a time.

"Kudo-kun?"

The next moment, a face, which he recognized as the rookie detective's popped into his sight. "Kudo-kun! How nice! You'll solve this, come on!" Serin grabbed Kaito by the hand and pulled him over to the body with considerable strength. Kaito's foot snagged onto the body, and would have tripped over, if not for the hand holding him back. Wow, so much for detective work.

"Okay, Kudo-kun, here's what I've gathered, and I hope you can make best use of it. See, the victim, who is Kurai Chika, class 2D, Teitan High student. Her throat here has a pair of small holes punctured in. the cause of death would be massive external bleeding, would it not?" Serin blabbered on and on about her findings, whilst Kaito stood through all of this in a daze. How was he supposed to solve this? He was not a detective, let alone Shinichi. He was backed up against a dead end, with nowhere else to run. Serin would find out, any moment now, and expose his identity once more and it would happen all over again, and this time with the possibility of Tantei-kun being found out as well! If that came true, who knows what would happen next?!

"Shinichi? Are you okay?"

Kaito snapped back to reality, the voice dragging him back to earth like a huge elastic band. He blinked twice, and found that Shinichi's friend had shoved her face into his view.

"What's wrong with you today? You haven't got your scary face on, and it's a case. Are you feeling alright?" Ran's concerned thoughts resounded in his ears, and he felt envious that Shinichi would have such a nice girlfriend, unlike someone that decided that the weapon of her life would be a mop and a huge fish.

"I …er …… I j-just need a couple more things before I can safely find the culprit. I think I need to look around this place a little more." It was a lousy excuse, he knew, but how could he help it? And he'd never thought that he would be actually wishing the little brat was here, of all things. "What is this? Am I going mad or what?" he thought.

"Okay then, Kudo-kun." Serin chirped, before picking up her bag. "You go investigate this case, because I've got lessons to go for. I bet the teacher excuses you from lessons when this sort of things happens, right?" She laughed merrily, and skipped off to the classrooms, leaving Kaito behind, his face pale with apprehension and worry.

"Kudo-kun? Do you think you can solve this?" it was the inspector now, nervously poking at his side, maybe to see if he could still respond.

"Yes…and jabbing your finger between my ribs is not going to help…" Kaito subdued his annoyance, but it still held its meaning. Inspector Megure stopped at once, falling back to talk to the other officers behind him. Kaito was left alone, surrounded by numerous fans that were still squealing and waiting with bated breaths for his usual, but always exhilarating revelation of the perpetrator. He felt cornered, and there were eyes staring at him expectantly, not letting him out of their sight for even a second. Sweat trickled down his forehead, and he felt he was about to crash.

"K-Shinichi-niichan?"

He almost leaped up in fright at the cold, yet cute voice behind him. He whirled around on tiptoe like an awkward ballerina and faced his savior.

The brunette smirked, and grabbed his hand with her own tiny one, and led him away from the scene, while all the fans stared after them both. Ai glared at them coldly, before crying with indignation, "What? Can't Shinichi-niichan take me to a washroom?!" The fans froze, and looked at each other in embarrassment.

Ai led Kaito to a washroom, obviously, and pushed him in through the entrance. "Someone wants to see you…Don't come out till you're done."

Kaito scratched his head, puzzled that someone would want to meet him…in a place such as a washroom. He walked on, eyes darting around for his client.

"Would you hurry up? I'm getting cold here."

The voice seemed to have come from one of the cubicles, and Kaito nervously stepped towards it. It was locked, but he could not recognize who spoke.

"Kuroba, hurry up."

He froze, not knowing what to do. "W-What? What am I supposed to do?"

He swore he could hear something like a sigh from behind the door. "Idiot…Didn't Haibara tell you what to do? Suppose not. Okay then. Get into the room beside mine, and throw over the brown package you see on the floor. Then I'll throw over a bundle of clothes and you go wear them."

Kaito stopped, speechless for a moment, then realizing who it was and quickly going about his instructions.

He entered the cubicle, and picked up the box lying on the floor. With a deft flick of his wrist, the box soared over the divider and into the cubicle next door. There was a loud thump, followed by a scrabbling and tearing of paper, and the light flips and flops of dressing. Then, a bundle of cloth was thrown over, and Kaito quickly slipped into them.

He was about to go out, when he suddenly remembered the face he was using as a disguise.

"Oh no! If Kudo-kun will be out there now, I can't play him anymore! What do I do…what do I do…I don't have my costumes here either!" he frantically scratched at his forehead, sending strands of dark hair flying all around him. Suddenly, something hard and plastic whacked his head and dropped to the floor with a clatter. Kaito bent down and picked it up.

It was a single pair of glasses.

…

"Kudo-kun? What took you so long? We were worried that you ran away from the case."

Shinichi blushed lightly, sweatdropping. "Kuroba you idiot…marring my reputation now…" He opened his mouth to speak, but was immediately silenced by the rookie detective. "Alright. Now that you're here, again, go solve it!" She pushed Shinichi to the corpse once more, and quickly left to do her other work. Shinichi hesitated for a moment, then bent down and began inspecting the body. He gently poked the victim, looking for signs of injury, but there was none, save for the punctures in the neck. He got up, his brain whirring madly, and strode over to the inspector for a query.

"Inspector Megure, I think –"

"YYYYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

The bloodcurdling scream penetrated everyone's ears; the signal from the dead was sounded again. All the students halted immediately, their feet rooted to the ground. Shinichi jerked up, and dashed off towards the source of the shriek.

The path took him around the school building, out of the back gate, and into a plain behind the school. It was completely deserted, and for a moment Shinichi thought that he had come to the wrong place.

Then it showed itself – a gust of stray wind parted the long grass, and there, lying on a rock, was another student, his eyes closed in eternal slumber. Twin streams of blood trickled down from two holes pierced into his neck, with a small round indent below them. Shinichi checked his wrist for a pulse – none. He scrutinized the boy's nametag. "Kenji Hachirou, class 2A."

"What happed, Kudo-kun?!"

By now the rest of the crowd had caught up with him, and surrounded the second scene as well. The air was rife with speculation and shock now, but he could not hear it at all. "It's been half an hour since they discovered the first body, and this person probably died around ten minutes after. So the time taken to kill was around ten to twenty minutes, but I took five minutes to get here, and the scream was made when the victim was killed, so there is a five minute break for the culprit to get away." He scanned the landscape, but there was no other area to hide. "The culprit would still be here, among the people here…but the only connection between these two victims is that they study in Teitan High! There's no other motive for the murder to kill them. "

His fingers brushed against a pendant the deceased was grasping firmly. The sunlight bounced off its metallic surface, nearly blinding Shinichi's eyes. He slowly pried open the stiff hand, taking care not to give himself anymore sunspots.

The victim was clutching a holy cross pendant.

"Kudo-kun! Look what I've found on the first victim!"

He picked up the cross and turned to see the inspector running at him at full speed. Inspector Megure skidded to a halt in front of the boy, and held out his hand, which contained something in it. "Kurai-san was clutching this in her hand. I have no idea what this means, but can you find out?"

Shinichi plucked the object out of the man's hands gingerly, and compared it to the cross he had found. They seemed to have no connection, as expected. "I don't know why she's holding a clove of garlic, but…" Shinichi's voice trailed off into the distance, his eyes shifting focus. Inspector Megure, feeling something strange was going on, waved his hand in front of the detective's face. "Kudo? Are you home?"

"Inspector, I think I know the murderer's identity, but I don't seem to know his name."

"Are you sure? This is the fastest time I've seen you ever come up with the reason behind the murder."

Shinichi gazed back at him, his eyes brimming with confidence. "Yes, I'm sure. But I want to put this case on hold, for now. I don't think it is safe to investigate it just yet."

"W-What?! But what if more people die because of this? Are you going to let innocent people lose their lives?"

"No. but I think the murderer won't attack for a while, possibly lying low till this madness has blown over."

"B-But…"

"Inspector. I think you should leave this case to me and me only, lest you want to see more lives at stake."

He fell silent, taken aback at Shinichi's answer. "O…Okay then. In that case, you'll have to do this yourself. Good luck, Kudo."

"Thanks. I'll need it."

With that, the inspector left with the other officers. Shinichi looked as their shadows grew longer and longer as they drove further and further, until they disappeared from sight. By then, the sun had already half-set, and it was starting to get dark. Shinichi picked up his backpack, and started down the road for home.

"Shinichi?" a hand grabbed his arm, gently tugging him backwards.

"Ran. Hi."

"What happened back there? You didn't solve the case." Her voice was tinged with a hint of amusement and anxiety.

"I…I solved it!" He whirled around, annoyance clearly spelt out on his actions. "I just didn't tell anyone who the real murderer is!"

The girl whipped her hands back, and clutched them to her chest. "I…I didn't mean to…"

"Of course you don't! You don't have to deal with murder cases almost every day, and have supernatural things piled on top of it too!" He cried, then stopped his rant, and quickly turned away. "Serin…I thought…you were Ran."

"Umm…I'm Serin. Not Ran. She left for home a while ago." Her fingers trailed the lapel of her blazer, her fingernails colored a browning crimson. "New fingernail polish, I guess," noted Shinichi.

"Oh. Then…I've said too much. I'll be heading home now."

"Wait!" Serin's hand grappled at his blazer, pulling him back.

"Tell me, what are these 'supernatural things'? Is something wrong?" Serin smiled pleadingly, showing off her pearly white teeth. The evening sun bounced off the white surface, gleaming into his eyes.

Shinichi froze, his pupils shrinking like violets. "N-No."

"Why won't you tell me?"

Shinichi failed to answer, and ran off home instead, leaving Serin all alone on the pavement.

"Shinichi?"

…

"No. it can't be true. It just can't be true!" Shinichi pounded his desktop, sending all the stationery scattering away. "Not another one…This just can't be happening! Yet all evidence points towards that person…no doubt! But what I can't believe that this is actually happening…"

Sweat dripped down his forehead, whether it was from fear or mercy or something else he was not sure either. He sat still for a whole half-hour, lost in thought, and when he was done he got up and went over to the professor's house.

* * *

Mmm...Longest chapter. Again. Ah well...In case anyone asks me why I changed the chapters to spellcards with people's names on it...I guess it seemed fitting for the story? =|


	6. Spellcard 6: Koizumi Akako

This chapter is horrible. Yes, beacuse it was written during an extremely boring class where the teacher was spouting technical term by technical term that we would not understand. I guess that was the basis for Akako's summary, then. XP

* * *

"I just can't sit here and do nothing. Running around out there…he might not have had anything to eat for the past week…or anywhere to sleep peacefully for that matter…and people are on the lookout for him…I can't stand it! Why do I care so much about that arrogant thief anyway?" Aoko pounded the kitchen table, heaving in and out from the effort.

She stopped, and glanced at the basket she had already prepared on the table. It was filled with chocolates, bread, apples…with a blanket lining the bottom. She picked it up, and quickly ran out the door.

"Kaito, I'll definitely find you somehow!"

…

"Akako-san?"

"What?" She did not even look up at him. Apparently the cards she was playing with were more important than his query.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Go on, Tantei-san."

"I was wondering if you know about…Serin."

"Serin?" He swore he saw a shadow pass across her face. Apparently what Kaito had told him was true.

He had gone over to his house the previous night, and asked Kaito for help. Supernatural help, of course. At first he thought it was hilarious, but then… it was all too real. Kaito, after his bout of humor, had pointed him to the sorceress. Not that he was scared of her or anything…but it's not every day you see someone with cobras and scorpions at her side…not to mention in bottles.

Her fingers let the cards flutter back onto the table, and she looked up at the boy. "Serin Kirandra is –used to be a friend of mine. She was what you would call a rival, in ways more than one."

"How?"

She smiled, a hint of mischief flitting over her face like the wings of a moth. "I'm not telling you, Mr. Detective."

"And why not?"

"Because it is my personal matter."

"Come on. Pretty please? I really need to know."

"Fine, fine." Akako answered with a roll of her eyes. "Kirandra is a sorceress, like me. But unlike myself, she dabbles in the usage of cards as a medium for channeling magical energy rather than magic circles."

"…Huh?"

"I know this sound really technical to you, but you would have to put up with that. Kirandra specializes in the dark arts as well, but her power…"

"Go on."

"…exceeds mine." She looked away, humiliation clearly dripping off her words. A cold mist started to settle down in the room, making the atmosphere chilly and heavy. Shinichi gulped down his impending nervousness, determined to continue the dialogue.

"…And?"

"…And, she is known to be a very ruthless person, when it comes to achieving her goals. She would do absolutely anything just to fulfill her ambitions. You'd better be careful around her, Kudo-kun. We sorceresses can sense the presence of something with an infusion of powerful magic. Namely –" she jabbed a finger at his chest, "–your little friend here."

"But I thought I disabled it some time ago?"

She cackled, not out of devilishness, but of amusement at his stupidity. "You can still transform if you want to, but it's only applicable at midnight, like it was. Your 'last wish' was never fulfilled. Then again, I never did expect it to."

"Why?" As this conversation dragged on and on, he was feeling a little more out of place.

"The Destiny weighs each wish to see whether it is feasible or not. Like, for example, you wanted to transform into your teenage self willingly, it had set you off on a test run, but the risks of getting exposed were too obvious, and the toll it was taking on your physical self was more than it had imagined. So, it decided to only let you off at midnight, and only for an hour. Another example would be when you wished for it to cease to exist. Of course it would not grant that; it wants to live, just like everyone else. To void it of its life would be the same as murder, would it not? After that, it would just lie low for a while, until you finally find out that it is still working."

"Thanks a lot, Akako."

Shinichi jumped at the new voice, and looked around eagerly to find the speaker. As he scanned his surroundings, he did not register anyone new in the room, but that voice sounded so clear, as if it was just beside him…

"Humph, only now you show up. Took you long enough." Akako folded her arms and leaned back in her chair, her eyes merry and smug at the same time.

"Well…it was just as you said, everything."

"Ah well. He's got to know about it sooner or later, anyway."

"Erm, Akako? Is there someone else in this room?" Shinichi wringed his hands, which were starting to sweat with uneasiness. A floating voice in this room meant ghosts…. He was not supposed to believe in them, yet his past experiences proved that the supernatural was true, and it could bery well mean the same for those beyond as well…

Akako laughed again, and poked her fingernail into the teen's chest again. "Your 'little uninvited friend' is here, Kudo. He's been shutting up all this time, and now he finally chooses to open his mouth!"

"Hoy! 'Uninvited' was really unnecessary!"

Akako chose to ignore him, and proceeded to explain the situation to Shinichi. "Destiny here can be heard by people who drabble in magic and sorcery, so be careful about opening your mouth around Kirandra, Des-chan! And I think she would not notice much if you would just keep your distance from her; magical auras grow dimmer the further they are projected."

"Okay then."

"Fine. Des-chan, take care of Kudo-kun when he's trapped, alright?"

"Okay!"

"Good. Now hurry along, the both of you. Being late for school is not very good for your grades."

"sure thing, Akako! See you around!"

With that, Shinichi dashed out the door, running off to school. Akako sighed, and watched as he –no, they –disappeared down the road.

"I hope Kudo-kun would fare well against Kirandra. There's just a little something that makes me feel that she's a bit different now…"

…

"Knock knock!"

"Eh? Who can it be?" Serin got up and walked over to the door to answer it. Standing in the doorway, was a blond-haired teenage detective with his bag sluing over his shoulder.

"Kirandra, shall we go to school together now?"

"Okay, Detective Hakuba. Let me just go get my bag. But what's the occasion?"

"I…will explain on the way to school."

Later…on the street…

"…and today I found out that Nakamori was missing too. Her dad is horribly worried about her. It's strange, isn't it, when one person goes missing, the ruckus it can kick up."

"Oh dear! Should we go look for her, then?" She definitely sounded anxious.

"I don't think there's a need, since she usually finds her way home herself. But what I'm worried about is her dad swearing every single hour that his daughter isn't found, and I don't think my ears can take much of it anymore."

Serin chuckled in his sense of humor, and smiled back at him. "So I'll take it as we go search for her, then, Detective Hakuba?"

"Yes. But if you don't mind, I think 'Hakuba' would do just fine." If this was some sort of anime or manga, he would have been drawn sweat-dropping.

"Okay then."

They walked on, the both of them deep in silent thought. Then…

"Here, this is for you, Kirandra." He handed her a pair of earrings, and helpfully pinned them into the holes in her ears. They were a simple design of pearl, but she loved them, all the same.

"Alright, Hakuba. What are you up to?" she cheekily said, shooting a questioning look at him. He returned it with a gaily grin, his eyes closed with laughter.

"Nothing. It's just your birthday."

"How did you know?"

He turned to her, an triumphiant grin smack on his face. "That is why they call me a detective."

"Eh?!"

* * *

Hakuba may be trying to court Serin. I'll leave it to your imagination, but the truth would be revealed...not yet! Reviews please? I'm not getting much reviews lately. Comments of all kind are appreciated!


	7. Spellcard 7: Hakuba Saguru

Okay…Here's what I have to say.

First of all…Tanteigirl69: I don't really know what pairings are all about, so it doesn't really strike me on the head about who I am going to mess with. But if you'd like, I guess you could count this as a Kaito/Shinichi or Aoko/Kaito or Serin/Shinichi fanfic.

And now I shall open up the storybook and continue with the next chapter. =)

…

"What the hell is THIS?!"

His piercing blue eyes swept their gaze over the scene, from the trees at the far end of the pavement to the cracks on the pavement nearest to him, and back again. This scene was highly unusual and unlikely, yet it looked horrifying, as if a frame straight from some sort of horror-slash-gore-slash-thriller had made its way into reality and pasted itself in front of him.

Unrealistic. Yet, it was just…here.

It started the morning after he had got back home from Akako's. Ran had telephoned him and demanded to know where on earth her little adopted brother had run off to. He had absolutely no idea she was that worried about the younger him. All he could do for the moment was fend her off, telling her that he was with him. Of course she would not have believed him, if not for a certain special gadget he happened to have with him at that time, and once Ran heard Conan talking to her over his phone, she was utterly relieved, but told him to come back soon all the same.

When he reached home, it was almost daybreak. He was yawning widely after his night visit, and was just about to open the door to his room and fling himself into dreamland when the noisy wail of sirens shot past his window and stopped at his main door.

"Oh no, not again…" he mumbled irritably as he trudged downstairs to answer the sharp rapping. Already it was so hard to keep up with his ongoing conditions –yes it's plural, without having to combat all the cases thrown at him almost every six hours.

Naturally, it was the inspector that he had dreaded to see that was standing at his doorstep. Not that he held any grudges towards the man, but then again, poor Shinichi was not an early-morning type.

"What is it this time, Inspector?" he warbled groggily, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. The latter said nothing, but grabbed his arm and ushered him into the waiting police car. Shinichi was feeling mighty confused as to what his current situation was, but expected Inspector Megure to tell him everything during the trip.

The car took the both of them downtown, into a heavily populated district. "There would be nothing much, as usual," thought the homicide detective. But as the trip poured on, Inspector Megure finally spoke.

"About that murder case earlier…"

"Which?"

"The one that happened just outside your school yesterday. It seems there is more than just that."

"What?"

"When we get there, you see for yourself."

The car pulled up at the side of a deserted street, and the both of them got out of the car. What hit Shinichi first was the smell of the place; it was horribly rancid, stuffing itself into his nose the first chance it got, filling him up with the putrid stink. He wheezed, trying to get the vile stuff out of his system, and covered his nose as he scanned the area for the source of the stink.

Not a few meters away from where they stood, there was a towering pile of whitish stuff that was slowly turning shades of grey and sickly green. Lumps of grotesque flesh stuck out from the pile, twisted into an oddly elegant cursive form, but with holes and dents that vaguely resembled faces he had seen in a painting about Hell and torture. He stepped closer and poked a horrible-looking lump that was nearest to him, and realized that it felt familiar, terrifyingly familiar. It was soft and saggy, and the flesh that was dislodged fell away to reveal a single round eyeball, with its glassy iris staring into Shinichi's own.

"And the worst part is that they imitate the condition of the bodies from that earlier case. Some of them were clutching religious talismans to their chests, even."

Shinichi, as if to prove Inspector Megure's statement, brushed away a stray lock of hair covering two necks that supposedly connected two deformed heads to the pile; and glared into two pairs of deep finger-apart holes bore into each victim's artery. Many fine lines of pale white criss-crossed on the necks and shoulders of the bodies, where the victims would have been scratching and crying out in anguish during the final moments of their tortuous deaths. One hand that was attached to the sculpture had its fingers curled around a platinum cross. He staggered back, and steadied himself with a grip on a nearby lamp post, cold sweat drenching him to the bone.

"I am not going to put an I-told-you-so here, but we should have apprehended the culprit when you figured him out that day. Maybe then this would have been prevented."

By now a sizeable crowd had gathered to see this piece of hellish art, and a lot of them had blacked out simply from the shock and fear they got. Shinichi's face darkened, his fists clenching so hard that the veins popped out from his skin. Inspector Megure stepped forward.

"Kudo-kun?"

"Inspector, get me Detective Kirandra."

"Now that's new. The High School Detective of the East requesting help from the Kaito Kid Captor is not something you see every day."

"I said, get me Serin Kirandra!!" Shinichi bellowed at the inspector, sending him off in a flurry, his mind crammed with thoughts.

"Okay…So maybe all those rumours around Kudo-kun being a shinigami were true…"

…

"What is it, Kudo-kun?"

"Where were you in the morning, on the day of the first and second murders?"

"Why? Are you suspecting me?"

"It is my duty to solve this mystery by any means, and that includes interrogating all possible suspects," he intoned coldly.

She twiddled what he registered as new earrings hanging from the lobes of her ears, trying to recall the events. "Alright, I was…at the scene of the first murder, together with the police. I arrived at the scene only after I had heard someone scream, and called the police. My alibi would lie with all the students, who saw me running there early in the morning, after the student was killed. I remember going to the classroom after that, and that's where I stayed, even during the second murder, when I heard the scream."

"Was there anyone in the classroom then to prove your presence?"

"Err…They were all down at the gates at that time, so no."

"Then we cannot say that you are innocent."

"But why? Why would you suspect me, a detective just like you, of all people? Is there some grudge you bear against me? Is it because of jealousy? Or is it because your friend looks pretty upset when she sees you and you know the reason?!" She was panting now, from the effort she put in to shout at the other detective. It was his job, yes, but to suspect his friend? He was taking too far a step…

Shinichi sighed, hesitating. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. True, it was quite risky, but he would have friends to back him up, no? But of course the normal kind would stand no chance against this adversary…it was up to the supernatural ones this time.

"Come to think of it, you were in the classroom. I saw you peeking out the window. You're free to go."

Serin stood there, stunned by his erratic behaviour. She credited it to a mood swing, and nearly jumped out of her skin when he walked towards…no, past her. Her sensitive ears caught a wisp of a message trailing after him.

"Meet me outside my house tonight, and we shall discuss this matter together, in private."

She turned around to answer, but he had already walked off, and she was glad to see that everyone else was just as bewildered as him.

…

Hakuba woke up groggily, rubbing his eyes sleepily. His hands brushed against a small black box sitting on his side table. He glanced at it confusedly, then remembered what it for. He picked it up eagerly, and pressed the green button below the blank screen. The screen flickered to life, and showed a picture of the detective who was considered missing walking past the camera. His eyes opened wide in surprise, and watched as the camera froze for a moment, and then turned around to record the detective going off, and the crowd's astonished faces. He frowned slightly, and pressed the orange button on the remote, the one with the letters 'REC' on it. A red label with the same word popped up onto the screen, with a blinking red circle on the end. He smiled in satisfaction, and placed the device into the pocket of his jacket.

...

I replaced the line breaks with dots, so I could edit them later on. And...sorry for updating late again! I've got my piano exams tomorrow, and I can only resume writing on Wednesday... =P I guess that's high school life for ya!

Seeya' in the eight chapter!


	8. Spellcard 8: Nakamori Aoko

Hi peoples! Angelglitched here~

Today I'm going to check my email for review I have recieved so far. =| Four for this story.

...Apparently people like Under the Moonlight more than they like this story.

Never mind. I think this story would end around...next week? Yeah. There's not much to write left, except the incredibly action-packed chapter that I'm working on next, and the conclusion. (sighs)

* * *

Nakamori Ginzo had just woken up, and walked downstairs to the kitchen, expecting breakfast to be on the table. He yawned widely, and wiped the pooling tears that washed off his eyes. Then, he sat down on a chair and looked around eagerly for a plate of sandwiches or biscuits.

There was nothing on the table.

He blinked confusedly, and rubbed his eyes. No, there was still nothing on the table except a clean white tablecloth. He got up again, and trudged to Aoko's room and banged on the door impatiently.

"Aoko-chan! Are you up yet?"

There was no answer, although he had knocked on the wooden door repeatedly. He sighed, thinking that she was still asleep, and proceeded to open the door, very cautiously.

It swung open creakily on its hinges, revealing nothing but an empty, tidy room. The bed was made, and there was definitely nobody sleeping under its blankets.

"Aoko?"

…

"Inspector Megure –"

"Oh hi Ginzo! Say, they haven't found much leads on Kaito's whereabouts yet, but maybe they'll be coming up with something soon."

Inspector Nakamori stormed into the room, as black as a thundercloud. Inspector Megure ducked away from the literal bolts of luminous lightning striking out at the people nearby from his head. He slammed his files onto the desk, and glared at the surrounding officers.

"Sir…"

"ENOUGH ABOUT KID! MY DAUGHTER IS FUCKING MISSING, AND ALL YOU DIMWITS CAN THINK OF IS KID?!" he boomed at the scrawny officer that approached him, and slapped the folder he was passed away. The officer jumped back frantically, and scampered away, clearly terrified. Inspector Nakamori glared around at the rest of the officers who were shaking in their boots.

"WHAT ARE YOU IDIOTS WAITING FOR?! I DEMAND AN IMMEDIATE SEARCH FOR MY DAUGHTER!!"

The rest of the officers squealed and scurried away, going to carry out his orders.

…

"Aoko?"

"Aoko-san?"

"Nakamori-san!"

Aoko ducked behind the fountain, hoping with all her might that they would not find her. She adjusted her hair ribbons, and tipped her hat over her eyes. She watched as they dashed past her, looks of panic etched onto their faces. Her dad must have probably found out by now, and just ordered a search for her.

She knew duping her dad was bound to lead to some problems, and she was thankful that she had chosen some clothes to disguise herself. Suddenly, a hand latched itself onto her shoulder. She spun around, panicking.

"Hello. You look lost. May I help you?"

Aoko dipped her head at the teenager who had approached her. His accent was unmistakable; apparently they had roped in Hakuba for the search too. "Uh…There's no need. I can find my destination myself," she mumbled.

"Oh. Okay then. Another thing, if you happen to see a bob-haired student walking around near here, would you please kindly refer her to the nearest police station? There is someone looking for her."

"Okay."

"Thanks, madam, your help is most appreciated." He walked away, and rejoined the officers in their search.

Aoko let all the breath sidle out of her lungs. At least Hakuba didn't notice her. She clutched the basket she was holding closer to her chest, wondering where on earth her friend would have ran off to.

She peered around furtively from under her wide-brimmed hat, scrutinizing every nook and cranny for any sign of Kaito. Unfortunately, she could not see anything other than police officers.

"Wait a minute," she thought to herself, "there were hardly any officers here just now. Uh oh…" Her fingers curled defensively around the basket's handle, in case another officer decided to approach her.

"That's enough trouble you've caused for us, young lady."

She whipped her head around, and saw Hakuba standing behind her, arms crossed, with an amused smirk on his face. She backed away a little, but bumped into officers behind her. He walked forward, and grasped her arm gently.

"Your dad's horribly worried about you, you know. He's giving the staff back at headquarters a huge earful of his colorful vocabulary."

"I…How'd you find me here?"

He snorted, and peered at her outfit with contempt. "Your outfit. It's very conspicuous when you wear a Victorian-styled dress in the twenty-first century. But why are you waiting here anyway?"

She gazed up at the clock tower behind her, and said aloud, hoping Kaito might hear her if he was nearby. "I was waiting for Kaito. He might be hungry as anything, hiding away for so long."

"Well now, I didn't know you cared for him so much. Then again, you would deny it. Now come along, and let's tarry not, for your dad is waiting."

Aoko blushed, and gathered up her skirt. Hakuba took her by the hand, and led her to the police car.

…

Inspector Nakamori was pacing around in his office when there was a knock on the door. He wrenched it open, hoping it to be his beloved daughter.

Aoko pulled back her hand when the door flung itself open, and smiled innocently into her father's eyes.

"Hi Dad."

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?! I WAS LOOKING EVERYWHERE FOR YOU!"

"Uh… I was trying to find Kaito-chan."

"That brat?!"

"Yeah, since you guys were all finding him, I thought that maybe I should help out too."

His anger sizzled away at once, seeing her genuine concern for his work. He smiled kindly at her, and patted her on the shoulder.

"Alright. Now get to school and have a good day, alright?"

"Okay Dad," Aoko brightened, "Oh, and here," she pulled out a jam bun from her basket and handed it to him, "eat that for your breakfast, alright? Sorry I didn't make any this morning." She pecked him lightly on the cheek, and skipped out of his office.

…

"What was that all about?"

A child and a teen strolled out of a shop nearby; the latter loaded to the top of his head with bags of groceries and the occasional chemicals. He dumped the bags into a small yellow car parked on the road outside the store, and watched the commotion in front of the clock tower with little interest. The child joined him too, and suddenly broke the silence.

"Isn't that your girlfriend with the police?"

"Yea – wait, that's not my girlfriend! She's just a classmate!"

"You're blushing."

Kaito glowered at the girl, and sighed. "I wonder what she is up to now. With the police force and everything."

Just then, they heard her statement.

"I was waiting for Kaito. He might be hungry as anything, hiding away for so long."

Kaito grew as red as a tomato, and pulled Ai into the car hurriedly.

"Your girlfriend there's worried sick about you. Shouldn't you go comfort her?"

"At the expense of my life? No freaking way."

He got into the front seat, and started up the car. He pondered over a couple of other thoughts concerning him and Aoko, then registered her statement as a whole.

"And she's NOT my girlfriend, for goodness' sake!!"

* * *

...And that's where most of the swearing in my story comes in. And that is why I rated mine a T. I don't know about others' standards, but some might say this is only a K+. Ah well...

After this story...I think I'm gonna stop. For a while, until I get a new idea. Oh. I have one more already. =)

See you soon!


	9. Spellcard 9: Serin Kirandra

I decided to split the long chapter into two. Happy reading, guys!

* * *

Oh great…

It was all going so well too! Of course, buttering him up might have made him even more suspicious…But a little spell would have taken care of it easily. Ah well, time for another impromptu show, then!

Now… where did those pesky spell cards go…?

…

…

"Of all things! Don't tell me you don't have another antidote!"

"You took the last one already. I can't come up with it in just a matter of minutes, you know!" she protested hotly, then stomping off to the laboratory once more.

"So what are you going to do now, Tantei-kun?"

Conan huffed and slumped back into the couch. It was just five minutes to eight, the time he had designated to meet up with Serin, but his body decided to dupe him and he transformed back into his little kid self. Two reasons why he was feeling sulky:

One, he would not be able to solve the case properly. Serin would have expected to see Shinichi and not some little kid that claims to be a midget detective. Not that he would tell her, anyway.

Two, well…he was way too short to bash Kaito in the face for sneaking his vegetables into his plate of rice during dinner at the professor's house.

"So… what are you going to do now, Tantei-kun?"

He got up, and grabbed a piece of notepaper and a pen from the side table. "Doesn't matter. I'll just draft a note from myself to Conan about the meeting, and tell Serin later that Conan took my place. Obviously."

"You think she'll fall for that? She was not even touched by my flattery, you know."

"Just who exactly do you think I am?!"

"A shrunken Tantei-kun. Duh."

Conan reached up and grabbed Kaito's collar.

"You know, I still haven't forgiven you for making me eat all those leaves."

"Fine, fine. You can try out your method, Tantei-kun."

Conan got up, put on his blazer and headed out towards the door. Kaito watched him leave.

"Oh, and if you don't come back, I'll seduce Ran in your place!"

"Why you…"

…

Conan trotted to the pavement beside his house, scanning the area for Serin. The moon was shining brightly in the navy blue sky, and the stars sparkled at him, their pure white light shining brilliantly through the cloudless sky. It was such fine night, good for flying, but he knew he could no longer do that. Well, now that the doll's gone, anyway.

He got there early. Serin was nowhere in sight. He sighed, and leaned against a nearby tree, awaiting her arrival.

A soft sweep of wind tickled his legs, making him wish that he had worn jeans instead of his usual shorts. The chill crept up his legs, numbing them. They seemed to be alive, he thought, and then shook his head to clear those thoughts. "No, there's no such thing as ghosts or vampires, they're just figments of people's imaginations."

Yet his experiences told him otherwise. After all, it could still very well be true.

"Kudo?"

Conan instinctively whipped out his bowtie, and twiddles the dials deftly.

"Yes, Serin."

"What are you doing behind the tree?"

"Yikes! She knows I'm here!" he thought, panicky. Then, he calmed himself down and answered, "Because I was waiting for you, obviously."

"Okay. So what do you want to talk to me for?"

"Regarding this afternoon, I'm sorry if I was too harsh on you."

"Oh."

Silence.

"Anything else?" she asked, her tone slightly alleviated with puzzlement.

"No."

"Then it would be my turn, alright? Now, why don't you come out from your little hiding place and show yourself, little Edogawa Conan?"

His heart skipped a beat, a drop of cold sweat rolling down the side of his head. "W-What are you talking about, Serin? I'm Kudo."

She threw her head back and laughed, her platinum blond hair streaming behind her like a silvery waterfall. "Come now, child. Stop playing hide-and-seek now and come here to Serin-neechan." She started to walk towards the tree, and Conan glanced back to see a glint of malice reflecting back into his own. He looked around hastily for a chance to slip away, but the area around him was wide open, leaving him with nowhere else to hide.

"Okay then, you got me." He stepped out from behind the tree, and beamed up at her. "Shinichi-niichan told me to come instead since he couldn't make it, because he had to go off on another urgent case. He told me that you would look for him near here."

"Okay then. Man, I was so looking forward to meeting Kudo-kun here. Ah well."

He felt puzzled. It was just a little discussion about the murders earlier, why would she be so enthusiastic about it? Did the purpose not just lie in the case?

"I wanted to give Kudo-kun a present."

"Eh?" Conan blinked. That's it?!

"I guess I'll go home now, seeing that he's not here." She turned, and set off back down the road.

…

"That was strange. I knew Kudo was standing there, just before I left the house, but…" she whipped out a box from her pocket, and picked out a white card with an ornate compass painted on it. She placed it flat in her palm, and whispered quietly to it.

"Show me Kudo Shinichi."

The card spun around and around, and the longest arrow on it pointed towards the way she came from. She stopped, and looked back. Her cards were never wrong. So maybe there was something strange going on after all….

…

Conan heaved a sigh of relief, and leaned back against the tree. Bluffing Serin was hard enough, without her piercing icy stare and all. At least he had gotten over it smoothly. He got back up, and started off for the Mouri Agency.

"Conan."

Serin. He'd thought she had gone home already?

"What is it?"

"Come here. I think I'll just give you Kudo-kun's present to pass to him."

Conan quietly walked back to her, nervous once again. Had she suspected that something was wrong? If she did, he could be officially considered dead.

She bent down to meet his eyes when he got close enough, and ran her hand down his neck. It felt cold and unnatural, slowly curling around it like tendrils from a fast-growing creeper plant. Her red fingernails nicked his skin slightly, making him feel a mite uncomfortable.

"Uh…Serin-neechan, what's going on?" he asked nervously, his feet starting to tremble slightly.

She bumped her forehead against his, and gazed up into his clear blue eyes. Her fringe was brushed up, yet it let its shadow cast onto her milky face, letting her take on a more sinister appearance. Her hands wrapped around Conan's neck, threatening to snap it, but she did not. Yet.

"Kudo-kun. You're a pretty good liar."

Conan gulped, and tried wriggling away, but her hands started to tighten themselves, like two thick bundles of rattan rope. They looked frail and thin, but they were unbelievably strong. Her long fingernails dug into his flesh, inching towards the nearest vein.

"Wh-what do you mean, Serin-neechan? Shinichi-niichan's a nice person."

She leaned closer, her lips brushing the part where his head joined with his throat. They were painted a fresh shade of crimson, although the moonlight took most of the vibrancy away. They crept down to his shoulders, and held them firmly. Her tongue flicked out and tickled him, and quickly snapped back into her mouth. The cold liquid chilled not only his neck, but his entire body as well; the feeling was too eerie, too twisted.

"I've got a little present for you, Kudo-kun." She whispered into his ear.

Her hands squeezed him, and her head lunged for his throat.

Conan tilted his head away nanoseconds before Serin's teeth snapped shut around the place where they should be. He broke out in cold sweat and rammed her middle, causing her to let go. He took the chance and backed away into the nearest wall. Serin chased him, a vicious flame blazing in her stare, eyebrows furrowed mildly in excitement and bloodlust. Her teeth, visible through her nasty smile, were jagged rocks hanging from the mouth of the cave, but were a million times sharper. She pounced on him again, but he rolled to the side, and ran for his life.

"I knew it! Serin's behind all these murders! But I never thought vampires were actually real…oh dear!!!" his thoughts trailed far behind him, as he dashed away from his predator.

"Get back here, Kudo!" Her windchime-like voice tinkled through the wind, clear and penetrating.

Of course he would not want to listen to her anymore, but maybe he would anyway…running after a meal would be a stupid thing to do. Cramps tackled his tummy and his leg muscles were pulling at his bones, trying to make them stay stiff. Serin was catching up at a tremendous pace, he could not hold out for long…..!

"Why is it that even with the Destiny gone, I still get paranormal stuff coming my way?! How am I fucking supposed to survive this?! Damn it!!" he screamed mentally.

He thought he heard something stir. It was slow, as if waking up from a long sleep.

It explored around, nudging its environment carefully and gently, afraid to upset anything. Then, it rose up a little, and settled back into position.

He realized he had stopped running. Casting a glance behind him, he saw that Serin…was nearly beside him! He darted away from Serin's hands, and scurried into a narrow alleyway. He ran and ran, his feet crunching the gravel on the ground, tossing aside pieces of trash and leaves that floated around. Suddenly, his face smashed into something solid, and he put his hands up to find that he had hit a wall. Serin's dark shadow slinked up from behind, and he knew he was trapped. Serin blocked the only way out, smiling maliciously at the young child.

"Trapped as a mouse in a box, eh child?"

"No way. I still can escape, and put you under arrest."

She cackled evilly, and glowered at him. "You think you still can escape? Well now, I bet you wouldn't even live to see the light of tomorrow! So be a good boy and come here now, and let me have some dinner."

"Beep-beep-beep!!!"

They both did a double take, and Conan turned on the light on his watch. The clock's hands were pointing starkly up at the number twelve. He smiled, happy that something was finally on his side.

"Too late, Serin-neechan!"


	10. Spellcard 10: Kudo Shinichi

Des-chan and Conan-kun...=) KMS upcoming!

* * *

There was a shrill 'schwing', and a huge orb of red light blinded Serin momentarily. She backed out of the alley, using her arms to shield her eyes from the bright glare. It died down not long after, casting the alley into shadow once more. She looked, but there was no sign of the kid. Her ears picked up a soft, feathery beating of wings, which were getting louder, and louder and louder.

A tornado with feathers rammed into her from behind, pushing her to the ground. Her mouth tasted of tar and rocks, which she quickly spat out. She jackknifed to her feet, and twirled around, her claws outstretched and her teeth bared, like some kind of deadly ballerina.

Another soft flap of feathers and a gust of wind took her high up into the sky. She hovered there for a few seconds, and swiftly extended her own pair of dark velvety ones. They collected air in the flaps of skin between the thin bones, and she floated downwards slowly. The whirlwind thrust her up again, but this time she bore down on it, scratching her nails down on its face.

Shinichi reeled for a few, and then quickly smacked himself back into reality.

Serin grappled at his throat, and very nearly ripped out his windpipe.

With only just a couple of heartbeats to go, he swerved his head out of the way once again. Serin doubled backwards in midair, and came to a stop, facing Shinichi.

"So…you still have the nerve to use the Destiny, would you?" she cooed, "Never mind, it just means a bonus prize for me when I'm done then." She zipped towards him again, and nipped at his clothes. He flapped her back, and took off towards the horizon. Serin growled, and hurriedly chased after her prey.

She knew she could fly faster than him. She beat on leisurely, and soon caught up with him once more. He ducked as her claw snipped a couple of hairs cleanly off his head.

The city streets were spread out below them, stretching as far as their eyes can see. Below, a warm yellow light flicked on in a room in a certain building.

…

Ran was having trouble sleeping. Not that she just had coffee or anything, but it was because of a growing uneasiness that kept gnawing at her heart. It felt as if something terrible was about to happen, but her intuition told her no more.

She got up from her bed and pushed the lamp switch on, and dim amber light flooded her room. She went over to the window and sat on the inner sill, and watched the moon go by.

"Is Shinichi all right? This feeling was the same one as I got after the visit to Tropical Land."

As she looked up longingly at the moon in the Prussian blue sky, she spotted a pair of silhouettes whirling around each other in a quick-tempo dance. The music, however, might as well have been something right out from a war scene. She squinted at the duo, tossing and tumbling in the air, and rubbed her eyes, telling herself that humans have no wings. But just as she looked at the shadows again, the clouds covering the moon parted, and pebble blue moonlight illuminated their identities.

Ran squinted at them, and realized that the one with angelic wings was awfully familiar.

"Shinichi?"

…

Serin peeped down at the room with the lamp on. Knowing which building it was, she zoomed downwards, heading straight for the window. Shinichi darted down after her, trying to guess her purpose.

She caught sight of a head bobbing near the window, and sprinted over and once and grabbed it. The girl inside the room squealed in fright, but she pulled her out anyway, and thrust her hostage at Shinichi, her hands still tightly clenched around the girl's neck.

"Alright Kudo, it doesn't have to be this way, but if you are not going to let me drink something I'll have to help myself from your unfortunate friend here." Her smirk was as wicked as it would get, and Shinichi found himself staring face to face with Ran.

Ran blinked twice, and hugged Shinichi tightly. "Shinichi!! I was so scared!! Please tell me that was just a nightmare!" She fixed her eyes on his, filled with sweet innocence.

Shinichi gently tried to pry Serin's fingers from her neck, but they just dug even deeper. Ran twisted around, and was shocked to find that she was hovering in midair, her kidnapper was her classmate Serin, and that both Shinichi and Serin had wings flapping energetically behind them. Shinichi hastily pressed a button on his watch, sending a dart shooting straight into her neck. She passed out mercifully.

"Oh, looks like she's gone to dreamland. At least she won't feel it when I bite her."

Shinichi jumped her and broke her arm in two with a focused punch. She howled in pain, and dropped Ran. He then swooped down, and caught her in his arms.

"Sleep tight, Ran-chan. Tomorrow everything's gonna be alright." He murmured to her ear, and tucked her back into bed before turning on Serin. She was not happy, having lost two potential victims, and she pulled out a box of cards from her pocket. Shinichi was stunned.

"I wonder what on earth you can do with just a pack of cards."

"Ah, but that's you mistake!" Serin whipped out a hand of cards from the box, with multiple pictures printed on their faces. Almost at once Shinichi fell back to the ground, smashing a collarbone on the gravel. He tried to get up, but found that he had to stay lying sprawled on the ground, with the unseen weight of something heavy pressing down on him. Serin glided down near him, made a precise landing, and strutted over.

"There. Now that's a good kid. Lie down there and let me feast."

"Not if I can help it!" Shinichi concentrated his mind on her, and pulled her down to the ground as well. The look of shock on her face was priceless. He managed to yank the cards out of her hands and onto the ground. Then, he grabbed some water from a nearby fire hydrant and doused them. their effects went out like a flame, and Shinichi quickly got up, keeping Serin pinned to the ground.

"You've caused a lot of trouble lately, Serin Kirandra." His voice sounded really cold, even to himself. He was surprised he could even be that severe.

She struggled against his psychic grip futilely, and he plopped another blob of water from the fountain on her. She coughed and spluttered, trying to get as much water as she could out from her mouth, and snapped at him. He doused her again and again, until she fell limp.

"Not so cocky now, are we?"

"Luckily for you I was hungry. If I had eaten before I went to see you…"

"Well too bad. I didn't want to meet you for dinner."

She snapped at him again, and he splashed her into the fountain. She bubbled underwater for a few seconds, before heaving her body onto the edge, gasping for air.

"Well now. At least you weren't like those stupid humans. They waved all sorts of funny crosses and garlic in my face. As if that would make me run away."

"I guessed you would be immune. Their bodies stated that they were still attacked even though they were clutching onto those talismans."

"And that is why you're the great High School Detective of the East."

Shinichi rolled his eyes, and advanced towards Serin. "Enough with the flattery. Now what shall I do with you?"

He grinned confidently to himself when he saw genuine fear flicker through her glassy eyes.

"Nah, I only eat meat that's cooked, so there's no need to worry. And handing you to the police would be the same as letting you free," he mused aloud, enjoying himself watching Serin quake.

"Why don't you let me deal with her?"

They both turned to look at the shadow that spoke; it was a straight-haired girl dressed in relatively skimpy clothes. Shinichi pressed a tissue to his nose in anticipation of a stream of blood. Of course, that would spell danger for him if Serin knew it.

Akako walked over the Serin, who was still in the water, and yanked her out by her collar. Serin's eyes pooled with sudden tears, as she begged Akako to let her go. She took no notice of the defeated vampire.

"I'll be taking her to someplace where she will not cause trouble, Kudo-kun," Akako said, and dragged Serin, who was screaming in terror now, to a broomstick parked near a tree. She hoisted the other girl onto the back of the broom, got on and kicked off.

"Bye Kudo-kun, and try not to bump into any more funny things next time!" she cried as she zoomed off into the night.

Shinichi found himself waving, and quickly stashed his hand into his pocket. Now the only thing left to do was to check on Ran.

He flew up silently to the window, and slipped into her room.

She was right where he had placed her, but he could see that she was awake. He darted behind a curtain, hoping that she didn't spot him.

"Shinichi?"

He sighed, and threw the curtain off himself. "Alright Ran. You should really get some sleep now. You've been through a long day."

She got up instead, and ran over to him, and wrapped her arms around his shoulder. He felt hot tears streaming down his clothes where her face was.

"Don't go."

He kept silent.

"I don't want you to leave me again."

"Relax, I'll be back when I'm done, Ran."

"But you take so long to come back."

His shoulders sagged, and his fingers stroked her dark head. "I promise. That I'll come back and be with you, but only when I'm done with my case."

"But –" she arms slipped off him easily as he gently nudged her back onto the bed, and clapped the face of his stun watch down. Lying to her was not easy, but he comforted himself with the fact that it was only temporary, at least until a cure for his miniature malady was found.

He leapt out of the window and glided home.


	11. Epilogue

Yes I've finished this story. Comments or anything? Oh, and here's a poll: Who wants me to do another fic with Conan and Des-chan? (pokes review button for answering)

* * *

Water splashed down into the sink, leaving little round droplets sticking to the smooth white walls. He looked at them curiously, then smiled to himself.

He raised his hands, a conductor ready to begin his performance, and lapsed into the first number.

The droplets shot out of the sink and swam around in the air, getting into line for their first dance. They swirled and twirled and whirled with all their might, beaming arcs of brilliantly colored rainbows down onto the stage, sunlight bouncing off their round faces. The wind joined them in their gaily dance, whisking the drops around in the air. Happy music would be a nice complement to the silent routine, so the little child hummed one to himself. It turned out horribly wrong, though, and he stopped the show, replacing the drops back into the sink, and then turned to leave.

He sat down at the breakfast table, and picked up the newspaper. The headlines screamed their news at him.

"Detective Kirandra found missing!"

He knew, more or less, about what actually had happened to her. He hoped that she would be alright with Akako. Maybe she had forgiven her past rival. Maybe she had not and….he didn't want to think of the other possibilities.

Once again, he had set his world the right way up. Once again he had to take days of sleep out from his schedule. Yawning widely, he threw the paper back onto the table and munched on some toast.

Maybe his life was in fluctuation. Sometimes it was very fast-paced and exciting, and sometimes it was a mundane period of weeks, or days. Of course, the frequent cases would perk him up.

He prodded what the sorceress had called 'Des-chan', and spoke to it.

"Hey, you're not going to sleep again, are you?"

"No. I'm sticking with you as long as you live now. And why do you have such a hectic timetable? I couldn't get any snooze time last night."

He laughed at the voice. "True, I didn't sleep well last night as well."

Ai shuffled down the stairs behind him. "Kudo, who are you talking to?"

"Myself."

Ai walked off quickly, muttering something about the poison's side effects and insanity.

Conan cast his dreamy gaze out the window. He could get used to his current lifestyle, like how he handled in the beginning of his shrunken life.

He wondered how long he would have to wait for another huge event.

* * *

I think I forgot something....Oh yeah! OMAKES! Yeah, I know they fail terribly... but then again, that's my point of view. Anyone who doesn't want any more omakes in the next story please tell me via the review or message buttons!


	12. Omake Theater! 2

NAVAR FORGET THE FUN PARTS!!!! This time, I wrote these scripts while working on the story itself, so I wouldn't lose any ideas.

* * *

Kaito: welcome to the Omake Theatre! Today, we will have a short skit performed by the people that played out FFA. Curtains up!

(Curtains rise)

Omake One: Chapter 5

He swore he could hear something like a sigh from behind the door. "Idiot…Didn't Haibara tell you what to do? Suppose not. Okay then. Get into the room beside mine, and throw over the brown package you see on the floor. Then I'll throw over a bundle of clothes and you go wear them."

Kaito stopped, speechless for a moment, then realizing who it was and quickly going about his instructions.

He entered the cubicle, and picked up the box lying on the floor. With a deft flick of his wrist, the box soared over the divider and into the cubicle next door. There was a loud thump, followed by a crash of porcelain and a spill of black mass creeping into Kaito's cubicle.

"Tantei-kun? Are you all right?"

Red streams of blood wound through the grooves of the tiles and towards his legs. There was no answer from the other side.

Kaito hopped onto the seat of the toilet, and hoisted his upper body over the divider, then looked down to check on his friend.

Shinichi was prostrated on the ground, a huge crimson crack lining one side of his head. The package was turned on its side, a blooming flower of vermillion spreading across the bottom. Another bloom dripped down the side of the toilet behind him, painting the floor a shade of dark red.

(Curtains fall)

Kaito: And now, we have a short excerpt from what happened after Chapter 8, but before the events of Chapter 9!

(Curtains part)

Omake Two: Chapter 8/9

(Shinichi, Ai, Kaito and Professor Agasa are seated around a dining table in the professor's house, having dinner.)

Shinichi: I wonder who cooked this. It sure tastes great.

Ai: Me.

Shinichi: (splutters) How? You stood on a chair or something?

Kaito: Nah. I helped her do most of the stuff; she was the one who came up with the recipe.

Ai: This still doesn't taste right. Kuroba, did you put in exactly 3 ml of H2O?

Kaito: Erm…Doesn't that translate to 3 spoonfuls of water?

Ai: 3 spoonfuls of water and 3 ml of H2O are horribly different.

Prof. Agasa: Explains why this tastes a little watery.

Shinichi: I…have to go to the bathroom.

(Shinichi gets up, and exits, stage right.)

(Kaito scoops up all his vegetables with his spoon and dumps them into Shinichi's plate, while the professor and Ai are talking. Then, Conan comes back in and sits down again.)

Prof. Agasa: Oh. Back to Conan, are we, Shinichi?

Conan: Yeah… (glares at plate) Why did my share of veggies suddenly multiply by itself?

Kaito: Don't look at me, I've nothing to do with it.

(Conan scrutinizes Kaito's plate, and realizes that he has no vegetables at all.)

Conan: Your spoon has veggies under it. And I can see oil marks where the veggies were scooped off. Besides, I'm not the one who doesn't touch fish, yet I've splashed the fish gravy on my rice. The rice in between the veggies is white, not a single trace of sauce…

Kaito: Oh shut up already.

Conan: Then take back your veggies!

(Kaito scrapes his plate clean, then gets up and walks to the kitchen.)

Kaito: (shouting from kitchen) No way am I gonna eat those, teeny-tiny Tantei-kun!

(Conan freezes in his seat, and glares angrily at Kaito. Then, he points at the stove, which is beside Kaito. It bursts into flames, singeing Kaito's hands and shirt. )

Kaito: EE-YAH!!!

(Kaito runs off, exit stage left)

Conan: Man, I still wanna punch that annoying guy in the face.

Kaito: (from room) Come get me then, insolent brat! See if you can set my butt on fire! (waves sign with a flaming behind drawn on it from stage left, at the table)

(Conan stares, his eyes flare up. Kaito quickly shoves a mirror in front of Conan, which causes him to ignite himself.)

Ai: (using hands to shield glare from flames) Wow. The Human Torch.

(Conan disappears)

Prof. Agasa: Erm… did anyone tell him that he still has to finish his dinner?

(Ai slaps her forehead)

(Curtain closes)

Ai: (walks out onto stage) …And since those two idiots are still fighting, I'll take over this show. Next, we have another one from Chapter 9.

(Curtains rise)

Omake Three: Chapter 9

(Serin is just about to attack Conan, but is quickly repelled.)

Serin: What did you eat, my boy?

Conan: Haibara put lots of garlic into the veggies.

(Serin faints – no, it's not out of the garlic, it's out of bad breath. || that's how close she was to Conan's face!)

(Curtains drop down)

Kaito: (reappearing on stage) And that's all folks! We welcome you again for our next show but till then, I bade you all goodnight! (exits, stage right)

(…and Kaito is flung to the other side of the stage in a flurry of vegetables. We all wonder why…)

* * *

And that would be the official ending of this story. See you guys in the next book!


End file.
